costs of diagnostics,biopsies, surgery, treatments

I wonder how they came up with those numbers. They are generally much lower than the full billed rate but higher than what I paid with my health insurance. For example, my bilateral B-MRI was billed at roughly $5000. I can't remember my co-pay offhand. I hit my annual max fairly early so a lot of the expensive treatment--surgery, radiation--had no out-of-pocket expense, though my co-pay kicked in again for doctor visits after treatment ended.

I will have to get out medical bills to refresh my memory, but the costs are astronomical.  Also, it is bizarre what the hospitals charge, and then accept from the insurance companies.  Sometimes the amount is considerably less.  

What I do remember is "with a discount" my chemotherapy in 2011, which was six rounds of cytoxan, taxotere and zometa cost $120,000.  That's one hundred twenty thousand dollars.  For 33 rounds of radiation, the cost was about $19,000.  I had a lumpectomy and then had to have a re-excision two weeks later because the margins weren't clear.  It was outpatient surgery, and I think each one cost between 5 and 7 thousand dollars.  Now I go for monthly zometa iv's and it's about $3,000 each time.  

One more interesting note.  I did my radiation at a facility closer to home than were I had the chemo.  So the oncologist called the radiologist and they consulted on my case.  My insurance was billed $475 for the phone call.  Oh, that was the oncologist call.  Then it was billed $475 for the radiologist call.

hi, I am in Australia and cannot believe these costs! Is this indicative of what most people pay?????? What happens if you have no insurance?

but Wyo - the hospital can write it off, but other patients with insurance, or the ability to pay (and then do pay), absorb those costs and/or higher premiums.  For those who need help, there are options.  Medicaid, Obamacare, privately purchased insurance.  Why should the rest of us absorb the costs of those that have the ability to pay, or atleast say they have the ability to pay, de facto, when they take the choice of not purchasing health insurance?

With the ACA, no one can be turned down for health insurance and if it is "too expensive," that is a matter of prioritizing rather than affordability as ACA takes income into account.  Why should the rest of us pay for those that rather have a bigger house, nicer car, bigger bank account, etc., etc., over paying for their own healthcare?